Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and/or video signals which transmit programs to an audience. The audience can be the general public or private. There is a wide variety of broadcasting systems, all of which have different capabilities. The smallest broadcasting systems are institutional public address systems, which transmit spoken messages and music within, for example, a school or hospital, and low-powered radio or television stations transmitting programs to a small local area. National radio and television broadcasters have nationwide coverage, using re-transmitter towers, satellite systems, and cable distribution. Satellite radio and television broadcasting can cover areas as wide as entire continents, while internet channels can distribute text or streamed music and speech worldwide. Individuals can also use make use of internet services to stream sound and video.
Most modern stadiums and live entertainment facilities or sports arenas (herein also collectively referred to as “entertainment venues”) employ large television-type screens (e.g., “JumboTrons”) that receive video images and are linked within the stadium to a plurality of television cameras positioned to capture video images of activities from diverse locations within the stadium. The audience at a typical sporting event, for example, can view advertisements, instant replays, and other sports related data on the large television screens within the sports stadium itself. Feeds can be additionally generally provided from the cameras to media directors in a broadcast booth, replaying certain plays from the event from the event so that announcers can make comments about plays, and finally transmitting (broadcasting) a telecast to the viewing audience, including some aspects of captured video and data to the stadium audience.
Despite the availability of such big screen monitors, venue activity audiences still lack enhanced viewing options or perspectives within the venue itself. To compensate for the lack of viewing options, sports and concert promoters often rent binoculars to audience members prior to or during the event. Such binoculars can permit the typical audience member to obtain a somewhat better, but limited, view of the event, such as a football or hockey game, but even these views are often obstructed by other audience members and are tied to only one perspective.
The large screens placed in a venue such as a stadium are typically linked to cameras that are fixed or mobile. Placement of cameras about the stadium or arena is generally tied to an enterprise system. The movement of the game ball in a football game, for example, along with the players on the field is dynamic and unpredictable, and cannot always be caught by the active camera having the best perspective. Thus, during a game, the large television screens typically provide only one view, which can be further obstructed by other players or officials, often destroying a critical angular view.
In addition, such large screens are often utilized to bombard audience members with information, such as advertisements, thereby cutting into venue activity video that venue audience members might otherwise wish to view such as instant replays, a current play or other event data. The audience members, therefore, essentially view the large screen at the behest of the camera operator or media director and cannot select their own views or camera angles. These limitation are also experienced by remote audiences (e.g., broadcast observers located at home) that might be viewing the activity on a remote video monitor, such as a high definition television (HDTV), through multimedia content providers such as cable and satellite content broadcasters (e.g., Comcast™, Directv™, Dish Network™.
Based on the foregoing, the present inventor found that such limitations over viewing activities occurring within live entertainment venue environments can be solved through the use of remote video monitors including flat panel displays such as high definition television (HDTV) systems used in homes, and flat panel displays associated with computers and incorporated in hand held wireless video-enabled devices.
The present inventor realized that a solution to limitations in the art over the remote viewing of video content using remote video monitors such as flat panel displays used at homes, computer screens and displays associated with wireless hand held devices can be overcome, which call all be referred to as “flat panel displays.” By utilizing modern technology integrated with remote video monitors and the availability of on-demand live action, multiple camera angles, instant replays, and real-time team, player, event and venue information, remote audiences can enjoy entertainment video content on remote video monitors regardless of their location. Such services and systems can provide the venue attendee with increased mobility and freedom within and throughout the venue environment or alternate viewing opportunities at home when receiving broadcasts of video perspective recorded at live entertainment venues.
The present inventor also realized that new means of providing increased viewing opportunities for audiences in venue environments, such as stadiums and concert arenas, as well as home-based audiences could be improved if video content were captured from wireless in-play cameras associated with headgear used by participants in an activity (e.g., helmets worn by race car drivers and football players, etc.) can be provided for viewing by remote video monitors such as flat panel displays used at homes, computer screens and displays associated with wireless hand held devices.